The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-08-18
A POWERFUL ASSOCIATION,
The Inner Work of a Vast Vigil
lance Committee.

Compiled from Hubert Howe Baa-
croft's Popular Tribunals.
The great vigilance committee Of
San Francisco of 1887 was admirably
systematlzed. It's members were
divided into the general committee and
the executive committee. The mem
bers of the general committee were
not intrusted with the deeper secrets
of the society; each man knew his
place and exactly what to do when an
alarm was sounded, bu t further than
this he knew nothing. He was ready
at a moments notice to serve as police
man, to capture g. desperadO, or to
assist In an execution.
Il was the duty of the executive COM
mittee TO see that every person brought
before them had fair trial, aud that
none should be convlcied on less testi-
mOny-clap trap aside-thA1 woad
suffice to convict in respe table court
of justice. The executive committee
made no arrests, unless it SO happened
that some memter of irrepressible
activity should pIck up a criminal now
and then. This WAS the central power
around which all interests revOlVed.
All power was lodged in them and all
secrets. All orders emanated from
them, and every member of the assocla-
ton was bound to obey unquestion-
ingly, unhesitatingly, and as blindly ss
common solder obeys his command
ing officer.
When an arrest was made, the usual
course was first to cOnfine the prisoner
under guard in room or cell provided
TOR that purpose, until an examination
could be made. A committee
was then appointed by the executive
committee TO make the investigation,
and report the results for final action TO
the executive committee. Prisoners
were first examined as to their antece-
dents and to their mode of kfe, and
then the eliminating charges were in
Vestigated. A stranger could not
easily deceive at pleasure by telling his
own story. For no one was arrested
without cause, and both before and
after the arrest all possible informa-
ton concerning the criminal was
obtained and laid before the committee
The prisoner was unaware OF what
his prosecutors knew or did not know,
and with a score or two of sharp eyes
upon nina he felt neither comfort nor
confidence ID his lying. After tale OF
innocence, such as an angel might tell,
he was interrupted with questions like
these: my good man, do you not
know there is not q word of truth In
what you are saying2 Do you not
know that you we're put on board the
Susan Wright, bound Tor Australia, the
18th of September, 1913, in irons, and
that you came to California with money
stolen at HODert Town? Do you not
know that on the night of the fire, the
4th of May, you we're i'll the Maquolis
saloon and not at can Jose, as you
have ssfd2 Unless, sir, you can speak
the truth, you will be sent back 70
your cell and tried on more Trustworthy
testimony" After the trial and con-
viction of a criminal by the executive
committee, the cas- eWas referred for ap-
provsl to The general committee, which
almost invariably confined the decision.
For some time the executive com
mittee held court every day, and
there was work enough to keep them all
busy. Information concerning crimes
and criminals came pouring in on them
from every quarter; individuals and
country commit eeS of vigilance were
hourly notifying the committee of the
whereabouts of fellows who must be
hunted down and brought to trial. The
large, active, and enthusiastic police
force of the vigilants was constantly
bringing up cases that required most
careful consideration. The rapid
arrival of vessels with convicts and
questionable characters on BOARD,
demanded the examination of hundreds
of men by the emlssaries Of the 6ssOcia-
ton. With five or ten prisoners On
t:ial at one time, and with an ocea-
sional hanging to be done, San Fran
CISCO 8 vigilance committee had enough
to do